


Slow Start

by phlintandsteel



Category: Free!
Genre: Ambiguously Employed Haru, Background ReiGisa - Freeform, Background Rinkoto, M/M, They're always over at Rin and Makoto's because they are dorks with no lives, officer sousuke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-13 02:33:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9102625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phlintandsteel/pseuds/phlintandsteel
Summary: Haru tries to make an effort these days, when he realizes he doesn't want to look back and regret something.You know, to a certain extent.Sousuke has worked on having more of a 'leaf in the stream' philosophy toward life.Possibly to his own detriment...But some things are undeniable, even if they aren't obvious.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Not beta'd, sorry for any mistakes.

 

 

Makoto sighed.

 

Haru and Sousuke were engaged in a silent pushing match that looked to soon escalate into shoving. Sadly, he couldn't even begin to guess which would be the first to end up on the floor. Even more sadly, the couch _was_ plenty big enough for the two of them.

 

“You know, I'm not sure this is any more mature than how they acted in high school...” he said, causing Rin to look up from his paper.

 

Rin rolled his eyes at the scene.

 

“Oi, get a room you two!” he called out sarcastically.

 

“Fuck off, Rin” Sousuke grumbled, shoving Haru hard enough that he ended up sprawling toward the other end of the sofa.

 

He saw Haru's eyes squint slightly, and then the tricky little bastard turned his body so that he was laying down with his feet in Sousuke's lap. Quiet smugness washed over the shorter man's face, riling Sousuke up more than the actual position.

 

As soon as he laid a hand on Haru's shins to shove them off though, he remembered how Makoto nagged Haru into admitting the cold weather was making his knee twinge this morning. Hell, Sousuke's own shoulder was as well, but Rin would never mother him like that. A quick glance at Haru's face let him know his hesitation had been noted.

 

With a huff, he raised his hands in surrender and stood up.

 

“Fine, have the whole damn thing. I'll sit somewhere else” he tried to make sure he sounded as annoyed as he normally was by Nanase's actions. No need to comment on how Haru's face lost it's smug edge for a moment when he noticed Sousuke's consideration.

 

He absolutely did not think about the fleeting flash of _something_ in the other man's eyes either.

 

For that way lay madness.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Nanase Haruka competed in exactly one Olympic race.

 

After taking silver in the 200 meter free, he promptly blew out his left knee on the starting block of the 100 meter qualifiers. He could feel the tear even before he hit the water. Perhaps it was selfish of him, but his first thought at the realization was not of the team that he would be letting down.

 

No, as he hit the surface of the water, all he could think of was Yamazaki clutching his shoulder in pain.

 

How surgery, physical therapy, and doctors in general could only do so much.

 

Because Haru _could_ have continued his way down the lane if he wanted, testing the limit of how much pain he could take. It would only have been for the pride of finishing though. He was already well and truly _out_ of the race. Or, he could stop immediately and make every effort to be able to walk without pain in the future.

 

As Nagisa would later say, Haru had 99 problems, but pride wasn't one of them.

 

A couple of trainers helped pull him out of the water, and he let them support him back into the lockers. Rin was already crying by the time he got there. Haru pressed their foreheads together for a second and told him it was ok.

 

“I'm happy to have just gotten to swim here with you” he said genuinely.

 

In all honesty, the pain in his knee was like a weight off his shoulders. But he didn't say that part out loud.

 

“Baka, don't get all emotional on me right before I'm set to swim” Rin groused, wiping at his eyes.

 

“Sorry” Haru replied.

 

While the medic looked at his knee, Haru tried to think of a way to make sure that weight didn't end up settling on Rin.

 

“Hey,” he said, punching the redhead lightly in the arm, “You should get back out there... And _enjoy_ it. For me.”

 

“Aren't you supposed to say _win_ for me?” Rin argued, trying to catch up to Haru's lighter tone.

 

Haru huffed back at him.

 

“I don't think Makoto would like you dedicating your race to a different man” he deadpanned.

 

Rin blushed.

 

“I didn't mean it like that!”

 

Haru took a moment to enjoy the fruits of his labors before continuing.

 

“You already have plenty of things you're swimming for, Rin. And I'll always have the water, with or without a good knee” he explained.

 

Rin had a look on his face that said, 'of course if you're talking this much, it's about the water'... But he didn't argue.

 

By that evening Haru knew his swimming 'career' was over permanently.

 

He slept like a baby afterward.

 

 

~*~

 

 

 

It started getting physical between Haru and Sousuke the year after college graduation. Their bickering did, that was. True harm was never the goal of it on either side. The poking, pushing, and bumping started slowly from a base of stoic tolerance, not any residual resentment. One could even say they had to have a certain level of comfort with each other for it to have been possible.

 

If you asked, Sousuke would be adamant that it was Haru's fault for starting it.

 

He couldn't remember the _exact_ provocation at this point...but he knew for sure the first time he poked Haru in the ribs, it was in retaliation.

 

“Give it.”

 

“No.”

 

These days, it was fairly half and half as to who began their scuffles.

 

“That's for Makoto's lunch.”

 

“He said he didn't care if I had it.”

 

Their good natured scuffles.

 

“He's too generous.”

 

“If you bite me Haru, I _will_ arrest you.”

 

Mostly good natured, anyway...

 

“Gah, get off! You're a lot heavier than you look, you know.”

 

“Give it then.”

 

Rin stumbled into his kitchen like a zombie, heading straight for the coffee maker without sparing them a glance. Haru was practically in Sousuke's lap while trying to swat the orange from his outstretched hand. His determination wasn't a match for Sousuke's greater strength though. It only took one arm for him to hinder Nanase, so he used the other to keep the fruit held out of reach.

 

After Rin poured himself a mug, added milk, sweetened it, and drank the majority of its contents, the sounds of their struggle finally seemed to register.

 

“What the hell are they arguing about this early in the morning...”

 

He hadn't even opened his eyes all the way yet. He wasn't sure he wanted to, considering. Finally he decided to face the situation, and it didn't take long for him to figure out what had happened. Sighing heavily, he ambled over to the kitchen table, plucking a banana out of the fruit bowl.

 

He threw it at Haru's back.

 

“There's plenty of other fruit, morons.”

 

They both stopped and looked at him, with Haru's gaze dropping momentarily to the floor banana.

 

“I can't give that to Makoto, it's bruised now.”

 

“Then get a different one! There's a whole bunch of them left! I swear to god” Rin picked up another to give it the same treatment. Being only half awake, he didn't think much of the immediate shift in Sousuke's posture, from defense to protection. The hand that had been holding Haru back let go, causing him to overbalance briefly against the larger man's chest.

 

“Knock it off, you're wasting food” Sousuke admonished, using his freed hand to swat at the flying fruit instead. Haru laid still against him for just long enough to make him forget what the original danger was. Then he felt the orange suddenly gone from his other hand.

 

“Son of a bitch.”

 

Distracted by Haru's escape, Sousuke forgot about Rin's special brand of problem solving for a second. He got hit in the head with the following banana, for his sins.

 

Haru snorted.

 

Rin didn't move to pick up another one, instead rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

 

“Oops...”

 

“I can't believe I put up with this” Sousuke grumbled, rubbing the side of his head.

 

“You don't live here, you know” Rin pointed out helpfully.

 

“Neither does Haru!” Sousuke retorted.

 

Haru placed the orange in Makoto's bento after having drawn a quick dog face on it.

 

Rin shook his head.

 

“I'm taking a shower. Try not to break anything while you're unsupervised” he bristled halfheartedly.

 

Haru rolled his eyes, as if implying that anything so ungraceful would be beneath him.

 

Sousuke was still rubbing his skull as Rin left.

 

Once the redhead was out of earshot, Haru turned back to the counter.

 

“Hand me that banana. I'll carve a dick into the peel for Rin's bento.”

 

Sousuke grinned and handed it over.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Haru hadn't spoken much since the group of them sat down around the fire. That was at least a dozen beers, three hours, two arguments, and one outburst of song ago.

 

Sousuke wondered if it would be a bad idea to go after Nagisa and Rei, who went after Rin and Makoto, who'd had the most recent of the two arguments...

 

They were probably fine though. The odds were that if he got up from his seat he'd only find them 'making up' anyway. Not something he ever needed to see again. In fact, that's probably why Nagisa and Rei really took off, to go make out on the beach themselves.

 

He opted to open another beer instead, absently rubbing at his shoulder.

 

It was a beautiful night, with the sky clear and starlight shimmering off the ocean.

 

“I was relieved” Haru said quietly, out of nowhere.

 

Sousuke gave him a look, turning away from the scenic view. He noticed Haru was staring at his shoulder and dropped his hand from it self consciously.

 

“To get hurt...” Haru confessed, hunching in on himself slightly.

 

Sousuke blinked, caught off-guard by the heaviness of the topic.

 

“And I feel guilty sometimes, like, that, I should have wanted it more” Haru added, his voice barely above a whisper.

 

It wasn't the normal concise eloquence that Nanase spoke with when he deigned to open his mouth. But then again, they'd been drinking for a while, so Sousuke wasn't feeling super articulate at the moment either.

 

“What were you supposed to do, push yourself until you needed a cane for the rest of your life? You know Rin doesn't hold that shit against you” he finally replied.

 

“It isn't Rin I have a hard time with” Haru frowned, “I know how to feel about him.”

 

Sousuke wasn't sure how to take that, so he let the silence hang between them for a minute.

 

Tentatively, he put his hand on Haru's bad knee.

 

“Does it hurt?... I mean, is that why you're thinking about it right now?”

 

“No,” Haru said as he peered up at Sousuke's face, “Nothing hurts right now.”

 

“Oh. Ok.”

 

...

 

“That kind of thing... Does it still make you upset?...” Haru asked after a moment.

 

Sousuke could have played dumb, which he got away with occasionally due to his large size. Haru knew better though, and if the intensity in his eyes was anything to go by, this was pretty important to him...

 

“I'm not 17 anymore” he sighed, rubbing his thumb against Haru's knee, “I know better than to think a life is something you can 'plan' out. So why get all bent out of shape if it doesn't go the way you thought?...”

 

In the fire, a log collapsed, sending a scattered offering of sparks up into the night.

 

Haru seemed to really be digesting his words, so Sousuke gave him time. He watched Haru think about it, take a slow breath in, and finally open his mouth to reply. Then Nagisa's voice cut through the night.

 

“We found Mako-chan and Rin-chan!”

 

Haru's mouth instantly closed up, his body going back into 'stand-by' mode like it had been all night.

 

Irrationally, Sousuke felt a flash of disappointment.

 

Then Haru shifted his knee a fraction, as if to remind Sousuke that the moment was over.

 

As if it wasn't abundantly obvious.

 

Sousuke removed his hand, waited precisely two seconds, and then flicked Haru in the arm. Haru scowled and flicked him back without even looking in his direction.

 

“Oh good, at least you two haven't killed each other yet” Rin commented as they got closer, looking a little flushed from his and Makoto's _excursion_.

 

Sousuke flicked Haru's ear in retaliation, earning himself a full-on glare.

 

“Well, the night's still young” Makoto chuckled, eyes really only for Rin.

 

“I'm dumping your body in the ocean, by the way. No one will ever find it” Haru groused belatedly.

 

Sousuke shook his head in a weary motion.

 

“Haru, that is literally the first place anyone would look.”

 

 

~*~

 

 

Yamazaki Sousuke has saved people's lives.

 

He's been in car chases, shoot outs, and helped deliver a baby once. That's over the span of more than a decade of course, as not all police work is exhilarating high action. But still, it should be known that he can be trusted to take care of things.

 

“No, mom, I don't need you to send anyone over. I can patch a hole in the drywall by myself. I've got one of those kits with the little mesh screen and everything” he protested, already regretting having mentioned it to her.

 

Haru unpacked the shopping bag guiltily.

 

“Love you too, mom. Bye” Sousuke was finally able to hang up after 20 minutes of conversing with her.

 

“Sorry again” Haru cleared his throat.

 

Sousuke was the one who made the mistake earlier of tickling him, just a little, in the middle of their effort to both go through his front door first. Haru elbowed him back much harder than Sousuke had been expecting. The force of which sent him tripping against the door and the door handle through the drywall.

 

“Eh, it's a cheap apartment anyway” Sousuke responded, feeling partially at fault himself.

 

Haru silently helped him patch it, and match a paint to the existing color on the walls.

 

“Thanks for your help” Sousuke told him when he was leaving.

 

Haru paused in the doorway, long enough that Sousuke wondered if he was going to say more than two words in parting. But all he did was give half a wave as he left.

 

“No problem.”

 

 

~*~

 

 

“Sou's got big news!” Rin declared as soon as they got home. Said best friend was in tow as usual, and gave Rin a fond look for his exuberance.

 

“What's going on?” Makoto asked, following the lead set out for him.

 

Haru glanced their way to show he was paying attention.

 

“Well, Okimoto-san is retiring early due to health issues, so as a result, I'm being promoted to Captain” Sousuke told them with a shrug of his shoulders.

 

“Isn't 35 kind of young for that position?” Makoto asked.

 

“Yep, it sure is” Rin boasted, looking as proud as if it was his own accomplishment. He pulled Sousuke into a one-armed hug as he did.

 

“I was a bit stunned myself, but Chief Nishihara said I had earned it...” Sousuke blushed, trailing off slightly.

 

“That's wonderful, Sousuke, we should definitely celebrate!” Makoto insisted, beaming and giving the man a large hug as well.

 

Rin went to dig out a bottle of champagne while Makoto ordered them a special meal from the place down the street. It left Sousuke and Haru alone in the living room for a moment.

 

“Congratulations, _Captain_ Yamazaki” Haru told him.

 

“What, no hug?” Sousuke teased, being in a good mood.

 

To his utter amazement, Haru put down his sketchbook and approached him directly. The hug was far less hesitant than Sousuke would have imagined for such a thing between the two of them. He hugged Haru back firmly, ignoring the pounding of his pulse at the contact.

 

It occurred to him later that neither Rin's or Makoto's hugs made such an impact.

 

But what that meant, he was afraid to examine too closely.

 

 

~*~

 

 

When Sousuke came to, the sterile white of the hospital ceiling was the first thing he saw.

 

The second was Haru, sitting next to the bed and gripping Sousuke's hand like he would float away if he didn't.

 

It didn't take long for the other man to notice Sousuke was awake.

 

“Don't act like your life is worth less than Rin's” Haru told him almost immediately, voice filled with anger.

 

Maybe it was the concussion, but it sounded an awful lot to Sousuke like he had just been confessed to.

 

Sousuke's eyes widened at the thought.

 

Haru's eyes widened in return, seeming to realize how it sounded at the same time. The smaller man blushed and looked down at their still clasped hands.

 

“But I don't mind my coffee black, Rin, honestly...” Makoto's voice could be heard as the door to Sousuke's room began to open.

 

Haru loosened his grip on Sousuke's hand, but he couldn't quite seem to make himself pull away.

 

“Yeah, but they could at least give the _option_ of buying those little packets of creamer or something” Rin replied.

 

Sousuke squeezed their hands together more tightly again.

 

A hint of a smile started to creep onto Haru's face, until Rin noticed his best friend was now awake.

 

“Sou! Holy shit, you scared the crap out of me, man.”

 

Makoto was on the verge of tears, thanking him earnestly for wrestling down the perp who jumped Rin while they were on their beat.

 

“At least you'll have a cool scar to show for it” Rin said to try and cover up the fact that he had _already_ been crying.

 

Abruptly Haru stood up and headed for the door. Sousuke caught enough of the look in his eye before he turned to see that it was thunderous.

 

“Haru...” he heard himself saying, not knowing what he intended to follow it up with.

 

“Bathroom” Haru said curtly, not stopping or turning around.

 

Sousuke suddenly wondered at what point he had gotten to know Haru well enough that he could tell when he was baring his soul, and when he was lying.

 

As soon as he thought the thought though, he decided he didn't care.

 

Besides, he could completely relate to the need for a few minutes to cool down or else end up murdering your asshole friends. Not that they would have known there was anything between Haru and Sousuke to be considerate of... They'd barely figured it out themselves 30 seconds ago.

 

Nagisa and Rei showed up just then, and Sousuke tuned out the commotion around him for a moment. Considering his head wound, he was sure to be forgiven.

 

He smiled to himself, wondering if Haru would hold his hand again when he came back.

 

 

~*~

 

 

“Lay down” Haru told him, a command, not a request.

 

“Oh my god, I've been out of the hospital for _two months_ , Haru” Sousuke complained, leaning halfway against the couch.

 

“You're supposed to be on light duty still” Haru countered, rearranging the top of Rin and Makoto's kotatsu to make room for the tray of food he was going to bring out.

 

“It was only an hour of overtime, it's not going to kill me” Sousuke countered.

 

Haru leveled him a 'this is very serious' look, and pushed Sousuke's chest until he was reclining the rest of the way as instructed.

 

Nothing had happened between them since that day in the hospital.

 

At least, nothing more than Haru taking it upon himself to personally oversee Sousuke's recovery. And the larger man had let him. To his credit though, Sousuke was less and less surprised by his reactions to Haru these days.

 

He even understood, on a certain level, that Haru was waiting for him to make some sort of 'affirmative' move in response. It wasn't as if Haru was the only one who cared about him getting better though, and he hadn't really had a chunk of time alone with the man since being released. Even now, Rin and Makoto were due back from the grocery store at any minute.

 

If there was any one word that could be used to describe Haru, 'private' would be high on the list of potential candidates. Sousuke knew better than to put the man's feelings on the spot in front of their friends.

 

Before Haru could pull back, Sousuke reached up and cupped his cheek, letting his fingers slide into Haru's dark locks with the motion.

 

Haru went still right away and his eyes dilated a fraction as Sousuke watched.

 

“I'm tired of waiting for a 'good moment'” Sousuke confessed.

 

Haru blushed deeply.

 

“Me too.”

 

Sousuke pulled him down until their lips met.

 

Their eyes both slid closed in relief.

 

Kissing Haru was like a jolt under his skin, making his heart skip a beat and then quicken to compensate. The warmth of him was comforting like a balm. Sousuke felt additional points of warmth dance over his skin as Haru's fingers trailed along his cheek.

 

Gently, gently, over the place where his stitches had been.

 

Then down to the back of his neck, anchoring the exploration of their mouths against each other.

 

A flash of intensity filled Sousuke with, just, _want_ , and he moaned into Haru's embrace.

 

Haru smiled into their kiss.

 

Sousuke couldn't help but smile back.

 

Their kiss effectively broken, Sousuke whispered against Haru's lips, “Is this ok then?”

 

“Yeah...” Haru whispered back, “...I just...”

 

He leaned back a little, and Sousuke could see the questioning light in his eyes.

 

“Are we boyfriends now?” Haru asked in a burst of courage, emboldened by the kiss.

 

“Well, yeah... I mean, if you want to be...” Sousuke blushed to match him.

 

Haru smiled again at that, slow and sweet.

 

“Good...  Because I want to kiss your stupid face all the time” he announced, leaning back in.

 

Sousuke was already grinning by the time their lips met, but it didn't hinder them.

 


End file.
